Interventions that Disrupt Our Physiological Design
Birth is a sacred journey that begins at conception and like all physiological expressions in the body, birth will happen without any conscious thought from us! There is nothing we need to do for this process to unfold. Being pregnant is the preparation for birth! It's the next logical step and our body knows exactly what to do.
Humans, similar to other mammals, give birth naturally, but unlike animals, we possess a large neocortex—the thinking part of our brain. We think a lot. Humans like to know what is happening, prepare and anticipate what is to come. This can create a lot of stress, anxiety and unrealistic expectations. For birth to unfold we need to get out of our thinking brain and let our primal brain take over. Our primal brain listens to all our senses- when things look, smell, taste, sound and feel familiar, the stress hormones in our bodies will be at their lowest. Unless we are in danger, our homes are where we feel safe and relaxed, and the place we feel the least inhibited. We must feel relaxed and safe in order to give birth and our thinking brain has very little to do with this! The Primal brain also listens to our body’s beliefs - even when we are in our familiar place, if during each contraction we feel fear, doubt our ability to continue, or perceive the pain as overwhelming, it triggers a stressed state.
Physiological Birth - Defined as: “Birth that is powered by the innate human capacity of the woman and fetus.
This birth is more likely to be safe and healthy because there is no unnecessary intervention that disrupts normal physiologic processes. Supporting the normal physiologic processes of labor and birth – even in the presence of complications – has the potential to enhance best outcomes for Mother and infant.”
In the journey of childbirth, excessive intervention can jeopardize the well-being of both mother and baby. Interventions have become commonplace throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum worldwide. Their widespread use has led them to be perceived as routine, making them widely accepted and expected…
More often than not, induction is often the starting point—the moment a woman enters the "cascade of interventions " and the beginning of a journey she may not have expected to take. An Induction is any method that coerces your body into a process it may not be ready for naturally. This includes "natural" methods like castor oil and stretch and sweeps that still disrupt the hormones crucial for a safe and smooth physiological birth. Any form of induction, regardless of intent, sidesteps the innate safety mechanisms designed for both mother and baby during birth. Once induction is initiated, you're moving away from supporting a natural birth and should be prepared for potential complications. Other common interventions include: Cervical checks, ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, IV fluids, epidurals, pain relief medications, antibiotics, routine testing, vacuum/forceps, c-section.
Any of these interferences can disrupt the flow of labor and can potentially lead to complications by disrupting normal physiology, making birth risky. When we tamper with nature, we must accept the consequences.
Many women have been conditioned to believe that birth is inherently dangerous, that our bodies are incapable of birthing babies without constant monitoring and assistance. A common misconception is that interventions during labor or birth are what "saved" their lives or their babies' lives. What often goes unrecognized is that many complications arise from the very interventions intended to protect us.
Aside from these common interferences there are also subtle "interventions" that women and caregivers may not fully recognize, but they hold the power to profoundly alter the natural flow and sacred dance of labor and birth. Things like bright lights, excessive noise, voices, unfamiliar faces, nervous family and friends, fearful caregivers, continuous conversation, questioning, engaging the mother's "thinking brain", being observed, care providers who lack confidence in the birthing process, disregarding a woman's instincts.
Essentially, anything that stimulates her neocortex interferes with her birth. This can trigger a surge in adrenaline—fight or flight hormones—that may slow labor by diverting blood from the uterus and baby to the mother's muscles, heart, and lungs. She’s on high alert and ready to run if needed! Elevated adrenaline levels also interfere with oxytocin production, which is essential for a safe labor, birth, and postpartum period, deeply influencing the bonding between mother and baby.
What women and babies need for labor and birth to align with our physiological design is a sense of safety and privacy. It’s absolutely vital that women feel deeply loved and supported by those with them, and that everyone around them wholeheartedly trusts their innate ability to birth their babies. This is why it is so important to carefully choose who we invite into our birth space. Do they trust birth? Are they fearful? Do they understand physiological birth? Do they genuinely care about you? Will they honor and respect the sacred journey you and your baby are embarking on together, marking this beautiful rite of passage from maiden to motherhood?
This is why we believe so deeply in the Reclaiming Birth Conference so passionately: to begin moving away from fear and embracing our primal instincts!
Christina